The World's Largest, Smallest, and Strangest Model Trains

Some travel tracks that wind around hotel suites and sprawling gardens. Others are so small you need tricks of photography to see them. But all these model trains are the incredible result of innovation, artistry, and attention to detail.

Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland

Where: Hamburg, Germany

You can't have a list of extreme model railways without mentioning Frederik and Gerrit Braun. The German twin brothers created the granddaddy of them all: Miniatur Wunderland.

The über model built in HO scale—which is the most popular scale of model railway in the world, and works out to 3.5mm to 1-foot—supports 39,000 feet of track, and requires 46 computers to coordinate an ever-growing network of signals and switches. Those lucky enough to make it through 6 miles of model railway heaven (this is more than a day trip) are treated to eight sections based on landmarks from around the world. At the scale models of the American Rockies and the Swiss Matterhorn, visitors can climb stairs to reach the summits (nearly 20 feet high) to view Wunderland from an elevated perspective. A simulated sunset highlights Las Vegas, where 30,000 lights replicate the glow of Sin City. Finally, don't forget to visit Knuffingen International Airport, modeled after Hamburg's own International Airport, the largest model airport of its kind. See planes cleared for simulated takeoffs and landings taxiing down the runway.

And the Brauns aren't done yet. New construction plans, including sections for Italy, Africa, and a potential futuristic landscape, reach into 2020. Wunderland's wow factor is nearly endless.

James River Branch

James River Branch

Where: Tom's River, New Jersey

First, David Smith thought small. Then, he thought minuscule.

The creator of a Z scale model railway—a ratio of a mere 1.385mm to 1 foot—and village named James River Branch, Smith included within the village a hobby shop. He then decided what the shop really needed was a model railway in the window. Yep, a model train within a model train.

The resulting model, measuring a tiny 1/8 inch by 1/5 inch, is the unofficial record holder of the world's smallest working train layout. It required Smith to create a minute geared mechanism with enough force to keep the tiny train moving around the track. A surprisingly simple solution—a flexible piece of plastic tubing—did the job. When the tubing was formed into an oval and attached to the shaft of a low-RPM miniature geared motor, Smith found no additional mechanism was necessary.

One challenge still remained: Filming the micro layout. Despite using a 100mm macro lens with a 32 mm extension, Smith couldn't get the camera to focus on the model. To account for this, Smith blew up the footage 400 percent in postproduction and finally had the high quality images necessary to capture his tiny creation. Sadly, the model was recently destroyed in transit this past May, but the remaining photos and video capture Smith's passion—and innovation—in great detail.